Slaughter to the End

Seeing Lv Qingfu rush toward him, Zhu Yugui swiftly blew out a breath of frigid chill, intending to freeze Lv Qingfu solid. With this breath of frost, Zhu Yugui showed no mercy at all. He would rather freeze Lv Qingfu to death than swallow whatever was in Lv Qingfu's mouth. It wasn't merely a matter of disgust; eating that stuff would put him under Lv Qingfu's control. Unfortunately, this breath of chill failed to hit Lv Qingfu, freezing only one of Lv Qingfu's subordinates to death instead. Lv Qingfu had dodged. Before Zhu Yugui could even spot where Lv Qingfu had hidden, Lv Qingfu had already wrapped his arms around Zhu Yugui from behind. How could he possibly possess such speed? Lv Qingfu was a Joy Cultivator of the sixth tier. Even if he applied all his techniques to himself, he couldn't possibly be this fast. Someone was controlling him. Icicles abruptly erupted from Zhu Yugui's back, aiming to impale Lv Qingfu to death, but Lv Qingfu dodged again, his speed still astonishingly swift. By now, Zhu Yugui was certain of the situation. The one who had entered this room was not just Lv Qingfu; there was another person, and in all probability it was Li Qi, controlling Lv Qingfu with startling speed. Zhu Yugui knew that Li Qi had arrived in Santoucha, and he also knew that Li Qi was a Travel Cultivator. As for Li Qi's tier, the official claim was the fifth tier, but Zhu Yugui knew that was pure nonsense. Li Qi had to possess cultivation at the seventh or eighth tier of the ground level, or might have even reached above the clouds. For that very reason, Zhu Yugui had specifically brought in the chief of the Illusion Cultivators, Huan Wuchang, to deal with Li Qi. Yet unexpectedly, Li Qi had shown up at the Green Garden Building safe and sound. Had Huan Wuchang failed to make a move, or had he lost to Li Qi? It was difficult to judge that man's stance, but Zhu Yugui's own situation was extremely perilous. Lv Qingfu kept popping up beside him, and every counterattack Zhu Yugui made was easily evaded by Lv Qingfu. Li Qi could effortlessly protect Lv Qingfu right under Zhu Yugui's nose, which amply demonstrated the gap in strength between them. In single combat, Zhu Yugui feared he was no match for Li Qi. He wanted to call for help, but there was no response from outside the door. The guards on this floor had probably all been put down by Li Qi. The only one left to rely on seemed to be his adviser, Du Zhihuan. "Old Du, go get them for—" Zhu Yugui turned his head, only to see one of Lv Qingfu's men mouth-to-mouth feeding Du Zhihuan a mouthful of Golden Slurry and Jade Nectar. Wearing a contented smile, Du Zhihuan quietly watched Zhu Yugui struggle in combat. Old Du couldn't be counted on either. Zhu Yugui looked around and unleashed his trump card: a Cold Cultivation technique, Frost Across the Vision. Throughout the room, as far as the eye could see, from the walls to the ceiling, from the furniture to the decor, every single object became coated in a layer of frost. Frost formed over everyone's bodies as well. Du Zhihuan and the group of Lv Qingfu's subordinates were frozen to death on the spot, but after searching for a good while, Zhu Yugui couldn't find Lv Qingfu himself. If Lv Qingfu wasn't dead, it proved that Li Qi, who was controlling Lv Qingfu, was definitely alive. That Li Qi could still preserve Lv Qingfu proved he might not have suffered even a scratch. Unleashing Frost Across the Vision took an immense toll on physical strength. Zhu Yugui quickly grew exhausted, and the frost in the room gradually receded. The technique ceased, which also meant Li Qi could appear at any moment—and Zhu Yugui realized that his own life could be snuffed out at any moment. "Li Qi!" Zhu Yugui shouted. "I'm telling you, the moment you stepped into the Green Garden Building, you were marked with the Green Garden's brand! If you dare harm me, you'll suffer the backlash yourself!" Li Banfeng showed himself, walking through the doorway into Zhu Yugui's room. "Tell me then, why does entering this building leave a mark in one's body?" "It's a foundational art, a working method left upon the Green Garden Building by our Boss." Inside, Zhu Yugui was extremely nervous. He could see Li Qi's face clearly, but beneath the brim of Li Qi's hat lurked a murderous aura that filled him with absolute terror. Zhu Yugui hid his dread deeply, his expression and tone still carrying his usual domineering arrogance. "Li Qi, you have no idea who our Boss is. You've provoked someone you cannot afford to offend. Right now, all I have to do is lift a finger—" Thud! Li Banfeng kicked him square in the face. Zhu Yugui fell flat on his back, blood gushing from his nose and mouth. Zhu Yugui didn't rush to get up. Lying on the floor, he clenched his fist hard. Li Banfeng felt a dull pang in his chest. The man truly had a trick or two. "Hurts, doesn't it?" Zhu Yugui slowly got to his feet, looking at Li Banfeng with a smile. "Right now it's only a dull pain. Just wait a little longer, until the mark takes firm root inside your body, and a single squeeze of my fist will end your life." Li Banfeng smiled and asked, "Would killing you require waiting any longer?" Zhu Yugui clearly understood his current situation. "No. You're formidable indeed, and killing me is a matter of an eye blink. But killing me won't help you. The mark will still be on you. When you run into our Boss next time, or bosses from elsewhere, they won't even need to blink an eye to kill you. "Things have come this far; why forge a blood feud that can never be undone? You made a wrong move, so count yourself unlucky. Don't provoke us in the future, and we definitely won't give you trouble either." Li Qi said nothing. Zhu Yugui watched Li Qi's position, calculating his next move. If Li Qi left now, Zhu Yugui would consider himself fortunate. If Li Qi flew into a rage and wanted to kill Zhu Yugui, Zhu Yugui could only blame his bad luck. If Li Qi wanted to negotiate terms, Zhu Yugui could agree to anything. As long as he stalled for an hour, the mark would take root in Li Qi's body. By then, clenching his fist would genuinely make Li Qi die of agony. Even if he couldn't stall for a full hour, thirty minutes would allow the mark to take root halfway, inflicting massive agony on Li Qi and most likely forcing him to retreat. With this in mind, Zhu Yugui took the initiative to negotiate: "You came to the Underground City just to do business. Tell me how much territory you want. As long as it isn't too large, I can decide on the spot. I can give you half the business in the Human Market." Li Qi shook his head. "Half isn't enough. I want it all." "All of it is fine too. I'll hand over the official seals right now. From now on, the Human Market is yours." Li Qi shook his head again. "Just the seals isn't enough." "You want money, don't you?" Zhu Yugui produced the vault keys. "The vault is right next door, filled with gold and silver dollars. Take as much as you want. The entire vault is yours now!" Li Qi still shook his head. "The vault isn't enough either." "Then what else do you want?" In the building, Zhu Yugui had a primary wife and twenty-two concubines; with a single word from Li Qi, he would give every last one of them away. "I have a friend who wants you." Li Banfeng waved his hand, and Lv Qingfu abruptly appeared, wrapping his arms around Zhu Yugui. How could Lv Qingfu still be so fast? Hadn't he been under Li Qi's control this whole time? Wasn't Li Qi standing right before his eyes? Who on earth was controlling Lv Qingfu? Was someone else in this room? Zhu Yugui didn't have time to resist—he had depleted too much strength. Lv Qingfu held Zhu Yugui tightly, planted his mouth onto his, and fed Zhu Yugui the first mouthful of Golden Slurry and Jade Nectar. Zhu Yugui struggled for a brief moment, then a smile spread across his face. Time was of the essence right now; Zhu Yugui would obey Lv Qingfu's orders for only a very short duration. Lv Qingfu spoke: "Tell me, how do you remove the mark?" Zhu Yugui replied, "I don't know." He wasn't lying; having drunk the first mouthful of Golden Slurry and Jade Nectar, it was impossible for him to lie right now. Lv Qingfu asked again, "Who is your Boss?" "I don't know his name." "What does he look like?" "I've never seen what he looks like." "What pathway is he on, and how high is his cultivation?" "I don't know." As the head honcho of the Human Market, Zhu Yugui counted as a person of status under the Boss, yet unexpectedly he knew so little about him. "Where is your Boss?" "He arrived in Santoucha, but hasn't reached the Underground City yet." "Does he usually not stay in Santoucha?" "No. He travels all over Puluo Province. The main reason he came back this time is because he's short on money." "What does he use the money for?" "I... I don't know..." Zhu Yugui's thoughts began to stagnate; the duration of the first mouthful of Golden Slurry and Jade Nectar was running out. Lv Qingfu hurriedly assigned Zhu Yugui the critical task: "Ah Gui, the rent needs to be changed." Zhu Yugui nodded. "I also felt we were charging too little. I've already raised the prices." Smack! Lv Qingfu slapped Zhu Yugui across the face. "Nobody said you were charging too little! I'll change the rules for you. First, listen to how they're being changed, and in a moment I'll give you another taste of the good stuff." Zhu Yugui cheerfully agreed, "Alright." ... Lv Qingfu assigned Zhu Yugui the task of changing the rent and fed him another mouthful of Golden Slurry and Jade Nectar. For the next month, Zhu Yugui would strictly carry out this task—that was the effect of the second mouthful of Golden Slurry and Jade Nectar. With the matter settled, Li Banfeng waved his hand, and a dark shadow slipped out from Lv Qingfu's body. Li Banfeng praised, "I must say, this new technique you learned is pretty useful." The shadow remained silent. "Find it disgusting?" Li Banfeng asked Banfeng Two. Banfeng Two made a spitting gesture. "Why wasn't it you doing something like this?" Li Banfeng shook his head. "I really can't stand the smell." "If you can't stand it, let's hurry up and leave!" "No rush. Some things haven't been cleaned up yet." Li Banfeng summoned a crowd of shadows. Banfeng Two grumbled discontentedly, "Every extra shadow you call out means one more mark! I've already got a mark on me now!" This building was truly peculiar; anyone who entered would be tainted with a mark. "Don't worry. Let's tidy this place up first, then we'll deal with it together." Li Banfeng waved his hand and gave the shadows an order: "Mad Cultivation technique: Rivers of Blood." Dozens of black shadows shot out from around Li Banfeng. "You say it like it's a real technique—isn't it just having us brothers do the hard labor?" Banfeng Two killed Lv Qingfu first, then followed Li Banfeng toward the vault. A quarter of an hour later, Zhu Yugui was the only living person left in the Green Garden Building. He personally wrote out dozens of notices. After getting dressed properly, he took the notices, retrieved a brass gong from the storeroom, and went downstairs. Arriving at the street intersection, he posted a notice, banged his brass gong, and shouted, "This month's rent is entirely waived! From now on, rents are cut in half! I, Zhu Yugui, was a bastard for raising the prices before! I admit my wrongdoing to everyone, and I apologize!" Zhu Yugui repeated these words more than twenty times. The onlookers were dumbfounded. "Who is that?" "You don't recognize him? That's the top boss of the Human Market, Master Gui!" "What's wrong with him?" "Who knows what's wrong with him? The day before yesterday he said rents were going up, today he says they're cut in half and completely waived this month. He's said it all himself, so I have no idea what he actually means." "Let's check the notice in a bit. It seems clearly written on the notice." "Did I mishear just now? Zhu Yugui actually admitted he was wrong?" "That prick Zhu Yugui? If he admitted one day that he ate shit, I'd believe it, but if he admits he was in the wrong, I genuinely don't believe it." "Don't be so quick to doubt it. Sniff the smell on him—it seems he really did eat shit." ... Carrying the gong and notices, Zhu Yugui headed to another intersection. Watching from the sidelines, Tan Jinxiao muttered under his breath, "This Li Qi isn't afraid of crossing people at all. He's determined to fight the Boss to the bitter end." Standing beside him, Xiao Yeci wore a faint look of pride in her eyes. "I don't know what kind of person the Boss here is, but our Benefactor won't be afraid of him!" "Can't say for sure!" Tan Jinxiao shook his head slightly. "This Boss—in the open and in secret, black and white—he has more than enough tricks up his sleeve." Juanzi chimed in, "Our Seventh Master isn't afraid! He's never afraid!" Liangwu said, "Where did Seventh Master go?" Liangcai said, "Didn't we agree to meet here? Let's wait a bit longer." Tan Jinxiao frowned. "I told him not to go to the Green Garden, but he just wouldn't listen. This time, he definitely got marked." ... Inside the companion dwelling, Li Banfeng and a group of shadows stood ramrod straight. Their heads tilted upward, hands clenched into fists, exerting full strength through their entire bodies, trembling in spasms. Hong Ying was extremely nervous and asked the gramophone, "Xiaowan, is this what giving birth looks like?" The gramophone struck Hong Ying with a clapper. "Why ask me? It's not like I've ever given birth!" After a full twenty minutes, Li Banfeng exerted force and vomited up a copper coin. The shadows exerted themselves one after another, vomiting up copper coins as well. Ever since Li Banfeng learned the Rest Easy technique, this was the hardest object he had ever encountered. The glove picked up a copper coin from the floor. Looking at the material, it was cast brass; looking at the shape, it was round on the outside with a square hole in the center. It was an ordinary copper coin; the glove could never mistake it. "Yet why would this copper coin become a mark?" the glove remarked with emotion. "I remember Smiling Thousand Hands leaves marks on people too, though I forget what his mark looked like." Copper coins. Looking at the appearance of this mark reminded Li Banfeng of a certain person: Mister Kongfang. Zhu Yugui said their Boss was short on money, and Mister Kongfang was very short on money as well. Li Banfeng recalled all the shadows, leaving only one shadow beneath his feet. The lady gathered the copper coins from the floor, sealed them with steam, and saved them for future study. "Precious Wife, what exactly is a mark?" "Husband, that's impossible to pin down..." The gramophone pondered carefully for a long time. Unable to provide a strict definition of a mark, she could only give examples to explain to Li Banfeng: "For instance, a Scholar Cultivator's mark is usually a written character. That character contains spirituality bestowed by the Scholar Cultivator, allowing them to sense the character's location at any time. Such marks help Scholar Cultivators find people or objects, though not many Scholar Cultivators know how to use them. "A Peeping Cultivator's mark is a hook. Once hooked with a mark, the Peeping Cultivator can monitor the target's movements; marks are the very foundation of the Peeping Cultivator pathway. "A Curse Cultivator's mark is a root of misfortune. Their marks have even broader uses; unleashing curses relies almost entirely on marks. "The Mourning Array of Mourning Cultivators uses marks as well. Husband has encountered a Mourning Array before; that formation is exceptionally hard to break, and that type of mark is far too intricate for this humble servant to explain its workings." Li Banfeng pondered for a long time and asked, "Do House Cultivators not have marks?" The lady replied, "Of course we do. The traces of blood left beside a residence are marks." "So a House Cultivator's mark isn't meant for other people?" The lady chuckled. "Once a House Cultivator reaches a certain realm, they can barely be bothered to spare outsiders a glance. Naturally, their own fresh blood must be left for their own residence; how could they bear to part with it for outsiders?" The concept of marks was indeed far too intricate. Li Banfeng looked over at Hong Ying again. "Do Travel Cultivators have marks?" After asking this, Li Banfeng didn't harbor high hopes for an answer. As an unrefined, reckless woman, Hong Ying most likely wouldn't understand the concept of marks. Yet this time, Li Banfeng had indeed underestimated Hong Ying. "Travel Cultivators have marks. The method our Old Master uses to build stations is a mark. Want to learn? I can teach you!" "I want..." Li Banfeng hesitated for a moment, then said, "Well, I'd like to borrow it for a bit." Hong Ying gave a cold laugh. "It's been so long, and you still don't dare admit you're a Travel Cultivator. You and Xiaowan mess around with this farce every single day—do you find it amusing?" The gramophone giggled. "Why wouldn't it be amusing? We husband and wife love doing just that." Hong Ying set down her powder puff, turned back to look at Li Banfeng, and said, "Call me 'good wife,' and I'll teach you the method of marks." Li Banfeng shook his head. "No way. I have only one wife!" Hong Ying snorted. "Then what else is there to say? Go learn marks from your wife!" Li Banfeng didn't beat around the bush either. "If you won't teach me, forget it. It's not like I have to learn this." Li Banfeng walked off in a huff. The gramophone scolded Hong Ying with a couple of complaints, feeling secretly smug inside. ... Leaving the companion dwelling, Li Banfeng found the others. Tan Jinxiao said, "Did you get marked too? You shouldn't have gone to the Green Garden. You moved too hastily on this." Li Banfeng replied, "Hasty or not, it's already done. Saying anything else now is too late. Are your brothers all here?" "They are. Got a use for them?" "I cleaned out Zhu Yugui's vault. Gather your brothers and distribute the money. Since we promised this month's rent is completely waived, we must see it through. How rent will be collected afterward can be decided when the time comes." Tan Jinxiao nodded repeatedly. "Understood, Seventh Master. I admire you. What do you plan to do next?" "I'll wait right here for their Boss to arrive, then have a word with him and see about having him hand over the Underground City." "That won't be simple at all." Li Banfeng said, "Nothing in this world is simple. We'll do it first and see. Having lost so much rent money, their Boss certainly won't be able to sit still. I reckon within a day or two, their Boss will show his face." Tan Jinxiao sighed, "I only wanted to bring you to the Underground City to take a look, never expecting you'd slaughter your way straight to the end!" Li Banfeng chuckled. "What is it, brother? Chickening out?" Tan Jinxiao shook his head. "Never chickened out! Seventh Master, if I lose my life this time, be sure to carve a line on my grave: 'Tan Jinxiao never backed down in his whole life.' When our general sees it in the future, he'll recognize with a single glance that this grave is mine!" General? The last time Tan Jinxiao mentioned fighting a war, Li Banfeng had found it strange. "Who is your general?" "What general are you talking about?" Tan Jinxiao looked completely bewildered, leaving it unclear whether he was truly confused or merely playing dumb. The makeshift telephone rang. Li Banfeng picked it up; it was a call from Luo Zhengnan. "Seventh Master, Liao Zihui came looking for you. He says something's happened at the Dark Star Bureau." "What happened?" "He says a man named Chen Changrui was reported for distributing harmonizing agents without authorization. Those harmonizing agents are Outer States elixirs, and the Outer States regulate them extremely strictly—you surely know about this. "Right now, higher-ups are investigating Chen Changrui. They're likely to strip him of his post, and the Dark Star Bureau might not survive either." Li Banfeng hung up the phone, frowning deeply. Chen Changrui distributing harmonizing agents to his subordinates had been done with Li Banfeng's tacit consent. Who reported Chen Changrui over this? This had to be addressed. He couldn't let Old Chen suffer this injustice, and even less could he let the Dark Star Bureau be dismantled. Li Banfeng said to Tan Jinxiao, "Keep an eye on things here for two days. I have an urgent matter and need to make a trip to the Outer States." Tan Jinxiao was somewhat surprised, but after thinking it over, he nodded. "Seventh Master, go and return quickly." Li Banfeng arranged a few matters, then boarded a small freight train preparing to leave the Underground City. Boxes of corrugated cardboard, large and small, were stacked inside the railcar. Sitting on the boxes, Li Banfeng was contemplating a course of action. As the train approached the cave mouth, the flashing heavenly light outside reminded him of something. It reminded him of the flashing lights in the dance hall. "President Wang, have another drink!" Li Banfeng frowned and sat up from among the pile of boxes. Who had reported Chen Changrui? Who, exactly, was President Wang? In the underground cabaret in the Outer States, when Li Banfeng had heard those words, he had glanced at Deputy Director Wang. Deputy Director Wang had claimed it wasn't him. Just because he said it wasn't him, was it really not him? If I leave now, will this Boss show up immediately? Li Banfeng leaped off the train and took out the makeshift telephone. "Old Luo, tell Chief Envoy Liao that I'm currently negotiating with people from the Inner States and can't pull away for the moment. Have him pass two things on to Gao Yina: "First, have her prepare defensive deployments. The Inner States could launch a war at any time. "Second, have her protect the Dark Star Bureau well. Both personnel and institution must remain stable." Luo Zhengnan thought for a moment, worried he might not convey things accurately: "Seventh Master, what does 'stable' mean specifically?" "Have Liao Zihui figure it out himself. He understands, and Gao Yina understands too. They know the consequences of doing things wrong." Li Banfeng hung up the phone, returned to the Human Market, and found Tan Jinxiao. Tan Jinxiao was taken aback. "Seventh Master, that Outer States matter is already taken care of?" "More or less." "You handled that awfully fast!" Tan Jinxiao slapped his thigh. "I thought you'd be gone at least three to five days—I was worried sick!" Li Banfeng said, "No need to move around for the next couple of days. I'll wait here for the Boss to come to me, and incidentally see if any old friends come looking." Tan Jinxiao said, "And what if the Boss doesn't come?" Li Banfeng didn't answer. Instead, he asked Tan Jinxiao, "Why did you agree to be my guide?" Tan Jinxiao smiled. "Little Songzi said Seventh Master is a stand-up man. Since an opportunity presented itself, I came to take a look." "From the day you agreed to guide me, were you already planning to risk your life?" Tan Jinxiao shook his head. "At the start, I hadn't planned to risk my life. My life is cheap, but it's still a life after all. I had to see if throwing it away on you was worth it!" "And do you think it's worth it now?" Tan Jinxiao fell silent for a moment before saying, "Whatever you say goes. It's like I said—I've never backed down in my whole life." Li Banfeng said, "We'll stay in the Human Market for a few more days. If the Boss comes, we'll finish him off right here. If he doesn't come, we'll move on to the Earth Market. If he still doesn't come, we'll head to the Sea Market." Liangwu looked at Li Banfeng and said, "Seventh Master, can we return to our previous lodging? Although that night was cold, the memories are real." Xiao Yeci sensed something was amiss. "What happened that night? Why was I the only one left when I woke at daybreak? Where did you all go afterward?" Juanzi walked up to Li Banfeng and lowered her voice: "Seventh Master, we want to enter a pathway." Li Banfeng nodded. "Alright. Tonight, I'll initiate you into a pathway." Tan Jinxiao looked rather emotional, ready for a fight to the death. And then there was Huan Wuchang; that man might be able to help... Li Banfeng glared at Tan Jinxiao. "What in the world are you daydreaming about? Hurry up and settle where we're eating and staying. Our bellies are still empty." ... That night, a figure darted into the Second Chamber. Zhao Xiaowan opened her eyes, quietly listening to the sounds inside the Second Chamber. "Brother, that move of yours, Form and Shadow in Accord, is useful indeed, but he's a Travel Cultivator above the clouds. As soon as I ready a technique, he senses the malice and gives me no opening to strike at all. These past few days, he's actually tightened his guard against me." "Worthy Brother, I told you long ago that this matter cannot be rushed, but you just wouldn't listen." "Brother, are there any other techniques that can bypass Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity? Teach me a trick or two more." "How could Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity be so easy to bypass? That is a Travel Cultivator's very lifeline! This matter must be planned carefully over the long haul. If you keep tossing and turning like this, I'll be dragged down by you sooner or later." "Brother, teach me some other methods! I'm about to turn against him any moment now—the arrow is on the bowstring, ready to fly!" ... The gramophone's nose twitched and her lips trembled, barely able to stifle her laughter. Faintly, the companion dwelling's voice reached her ear: "Though it seems there are many Ah Qis, in truth there is only one Ah Qi. Rest easy." The quarrel continued inside the Second Chamber. The shadow grew a little angry: "Brother, let's lay it out straight. We talked this matter over together. Now that you want to go back on your word, you're the one in the wrong here!" Zhao Xiaowan froze. Whose manner of speech did he pick up? Why did that accent sound so familiar?